You may have noticed there's not been much Italian wine featured on Purple Teeth, so it was time to change that. And at £5.99 a bottle from Marks and Spencer, the Puglia Rosso 2012 seemed like a good place to start. I wanted to feature a wine that's available in a small bottle size as one of my readers was bemoaning the lack of decent wine in little bottles. This was one I'd picked up several times back in my days of subsisting on M&S meals after room service became just too boring.
It's made from the Negroamaro grape, another first for our reviews, and a grape almost exclusively grown in Puglia, which is in Italy's "heel" of the south.
The label claims the wine should be easy going with blackberry and cherry flavours, so let's see...
It's been a while since I've had this wine, and I'd forgotten quite how light in colour it is. Negroamaro translates as black and bitter, but this wine is neither. It's a bright, light to medium ruby colour, and very smooth on the finish. It works extremely well with cheese, and with tomato-based pasta dishes, containing plenty of red and black fruit flavours, and has a vibrant acidity that makes it surprisingly refreshing for a red wine.
As far as hotel room or train journey picnics go, this is a delicious match for the M&S Feta and Sundried Tomato pasta salad, and though that's hardly a sophisticated recommedation from the girl who enjoys nothing more than Michelin star meals and fine wines, sometimes you just have to roll with what life gives you and find a way to be discerning with whatever's available. The mini bottle size is a great way to try it if you remain unconvinced, but unless you only like extremely tannic, heavy cabernets, I can't really imagine this wine offending anyone. It might even tempt white wine drinkers over to the Purple Teeth side. What did the Purple Teeth public think?
"I like it. It's light and relaxed," said Claire, who is more known for downing a glass of Rosé.
Mr Purple Teeth, however, remains unconvinced... "It's a bit thin, I'd rather spend a couple of pounds more for something with a bit more oomph". I think what he means in winespeak is that this is a light to medium bodied wine.
I still get a nice mouthfeel, but to each his own, and remember this guy isn't a fan of Pinot Noir...
If you fancy an easy-drinking red that's perfectly quaffable, light and without complications, look no further.
It's made from the Negroamaro grape, another first for our reviews, and a grape almost exclusively grown in Puglia, which is in Italy's "heel" of the south.
The label claims the wine should be easy going with blackberry and cherry flavours, so let's see...
It's been a while since I've had this wine, and I'd forgotten quite how light in colour it is. Negroamaro translates as black and bitter, but this wine is neither. It's a bright, light to medium ruby colour, and very smooth on the finish. It works extremely well with cheese, and with tomato-based pasta dishes, containing plenty of red and black fruit flavours, and has a vibrant acidity that makes it surprisingly refreshing for a red wine.
As far as hotel room or train journey picnics go, this is a delicious match for the M&S Feta and Sundried Tomato pasta salad, and though that's hardly a sophisticated recommedation from the girl who enjoys nothing more than Michelin star meals and fine wines, sometimes you just have to roll with what life gives you and find a way to be discerning with whatever's available. The mini bottle size is a great way to try it if you remain unconvinced, but unless you only like extremely tannic, heavy cabernets, I can't really imagine this wine offending anyone. It might even tempt white wine drinkers over to the Purple Teeth side. What did the Purple Teeth public think?
"I like it. It's light and relaxed," said Claire, who is more known for downing a glass of Rosé.
Mr Purple Teeth, however, remains unconvinced... "It's a bit thin, I'd rather spend a couple of pounds more for something with a bit more oomph". I think what he means in winespeak is that this is a light to medium bodied wine.
I still get a nice mouthfeel, but to each his own, and remember this guy isn't a fan of Pinot Noir...
If you fancy an easy-drinking red that's perfectly quaffable, light and without complications, look no further.
Next week's wine of the week will be from Asda. It's a Rioja Reserva, Espartero and priced at £5.50.
I hope plenty of you will get a reasonably-priced bottle and join in with the fun. Share your thoughts and photos using our twitterfeed or facebook pages and we'll include them in next week's blog.
Cheers!
I hope plenty of you will get a reasonably-priced bottle and join in with the fun. Share your thoughts and photos using our twitterfeed or facebook pages and we'll include them in next week's blog.
Cheers!
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